Kurt-Lee Arendse was unfortunate to be sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on in the Springboks\u2019 victory over England, according to former Test referee Nigel Owens. <\/p>\n
The speedster was adjudged to have committed an indiscretion when he went for the ball by extending one arm above his head.<\/p>\n
On the day the officials deemed that it warranted a yellow card, briefly halting the momentum South Africa<\/a> had built after going 17-0 in front.<\/p>\n Appearing on World Rugby\u2019s<\/a> Whistle Watch programme alongside former Wales international Jamie Roberts, Owens<\/a> firstly broke down what constitutes a deliberate knock-on and a sin-binning.<\/p>\n What is a deliberate knock-on<\/p>\n \u201cForget the one hand because players can catch the ball with one hand, we see them in the lineout, it\u2019s a great skill when players can do it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat you need to judge it on in my understanding and my view of it is, was that player in a realistic position to regather the ball? Was he, \u2018unlucky, he nearly got that\u2019. Fine, knock-on.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re going, \u2018there\u2019s no way you\u2019re going to catch that ball, there\u2019s no way that player is going to regather that ball\u2019, then that should be a penalty.<\/p>\n \u201cNot every deliberate knock-on is a yellow card, it comes after what happens next \u2013 was there a line break? Was there an overlap? That comes into the yellow card debate.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you think that player had a realistic opportunity of regathering the ball?\u201d<\/p>\n Victor Matfield: The Springboks star who is the most \u2018underrated player in world rugby\u2019 and the powerhouse who is now \u2018one of the best\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Roberts responded, \u201cI do\u201d, believing that Arendse should not have been penalised, and Owens revealed that was also the view of the global governing body.<\/p>\n \u201cThe general consensus from World Rugby and the officials on this is that it should have remained just a knock-on, the TMO should not have come in and got involved with this and given it a yellow card,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey feel that he could have regathered that ball, it was unlucky he didn\u2019t, hence it was a knock-on.\u201d<\/p>\n Owens wants law cleared up<\/p>\n Owens himself believed that it was a fine line and some people might take an alternative view on the incident, stating it was a \u201cgrey area\u201d for officials.<\/p>\n The respected former Test referee duly called on the relevant bodies to band together and clear it up to ease the burden on those making the decisions in the middle.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re looking at this and going, \u2018I disagree with that, I don\u2019t think he would have ever caught that ball\u2019, that would be the reason why you would escalate to a penalty and then end up with a yellow card,\u201d he added<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m with you on it in one sense, it\u2019s not one of those that jump out at me as a deliberate knock-on and yellow card.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a bit of a grey area that I would like to see them tighten up a little bit more and [have a bit more] consistency on.\u201d<\/p>\n